


Childish Things

by WerewolvesAreReal



Category: Digimon - All Media Types, Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02
Genre: Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2016-08-01
Packaged: 2018-07-28 17:24:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7649800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WerewolvesAreReal/pseuds/WerewolvesAreReal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, it's tiring to be the only adult in the real-world. Gatomon-centric.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Childish Things

Gatomon stretches from her spot on the floor, rotating her ears and peering disdainfully at the slant of light that falls through the window. She dislikes this, how light moves with the sun; unless she moves with it she grows cold during her naps. Most inconvenient.

Koromon comes bouncing into the sitting room, cheerful despite the hideous hour. Noon. No one should be up at noon. Dawn and Dusk are clearly the best times to be alert. Everyone knows that. _Kari_ knows that, at least, which only shows that the Child of Light is clearly the most sensible human around.

“Are you sleeping all day again?” Koromon asks, and cheerfully bounds over. She knows what is coming, but it doesn't stop her from going very still as Koromon starts to hop up and down on her back. “Get up! Get up! It's such a beautiful day!”

Gatomon's tail starts to raise and fall in slow, deliberate strokes. She peers at the window with hooded eyes, saying nothing. Koromon doesn't seem to get the hint.

“Get up! Get up! Get – _oof!_ ”

One disdainful swipe of her paw sends the in-training digimon flying across the room. Koromon hits the far wall with a groan just as Tai walks in.

“You probably earned that, little guy,” says Tai, apparently unconcerned with the fate of his partner. “Come on. You're going back to the digital-world in a few hours. Do you really want to spend your time here getting beat up?”

Koromon groans softly.

“Don't be mean,” calls a voice.

Soft arms reach down from nowhere, and Gatomon settles in with a grumble as Kari scoops her into a light hold. “We're going to be late,” she says. “We're meeting the others at the park, remember?”

“Ugh,” Gatomon says, blinking the sleep from her eyes. “I need my beauty sleep.”

“I'll brush you on the way,” promises Kari, which is another way that she's the best.

Gatomon half-dozes in Kari's arms on the way to the park, but it would be wrong to say that she's not alert. Her eyes blink blearily open every few seconds – just long enough to sweep around the group before fluttering shut again. Cats have quick reflexes. She could jump on any enemy before they could get to _her._

Koromon is clearly audible from inside Tai's bag, grumbling loudly. Gatomon's tail twitches in pleasure as they stop in the park to await the others. Kari sets her down on the soft grass while they wait, running her fingers through Gatomon's nape. Gatomon and maybe Biyomon are the only digimon who can freely walk around without seeming too suspicious. The others, if they can be seen at all, have to pretend to be stuffed animals. It's not their fault but she enjoys the freedom nonetheless.

The others arrive in groups of twos and threes, chattering excitedly. It's hard to arrange for everyone to meet, these days, so group activities are always a cause for joy. Mimi is back from America for a few days, holding Tanemon in her arms. Joe is the last to arrive, which surprises no one. He stumbles up holding two books and clutching a pile of pencils in his fist.

Matt sighs. “Joe, are you planning on studying?”

“I have a big test coming up!”

“You always have a big test coming up,” TK says.

Patamon is hanging off TK's hat, and he giggles at this comment. Gatomon glances at him and whispers, “Joe needs a nap, I think.” Patamon nods in agreement.

Patamon can be alright company in the real-world. He's not so young, and they're old friends. But it seems strange to her, that Patamon is still so happy all the time, yet still doesn't revert to his in-training form.

Dying will do that, Gatomon supposes – make a digimon wary, even those who are otherwise light of heart.

(Shouldn't _she_ be Light, too, the partner of - ?)

“Alright, we're all here.”

They appear in the digital world on the edge of a pond, grass rippling out in every direction. Tai looks around, grins, and flings himself on the ground. “Alright - let's eat!”

As everyone spread out Gatomon nibbles delicately at a few pieces of sushi – thoughtfully provided by Kari – while watching the others lunge at their food. She sighs.

Kari reaches down and pets her as she talks to TK.

Joe is trying to study while he eats and Bukamon is having none of it. While Joe isn't looking Bukamon wiggles up by his side and snatches a rice-roll from his plate. Joe seems nonplussed when he looks down again, then just continues eating.

Tanemon and Yokomon soon join in the game, too. Joe clatters his chopsticks against an empty plate a minute later and peers at it suspiciously.

Tsunomon and Koromon eat swiftly and leap up to play soccer, which looks comical considering they are both ball-shaped themselves. Tai snickers and leans back to critique their efforts. “Come on, put your legs into it.”

“How?” Koromon wails.

Gatomon stands up, stretches, and shakes off Kari's hand regretfully. She wanders away a little and looks for a nice patch of sun, then settles down and circles. She digs her claws briefly against the earth to test its softness before lowering her body.

She has just closed her eyes when she hears Demiveemon's voice, far too close to her ears:

“Gatomon! Come play tag with us!”

“No,” she says.

“Pleeease?”

“No.”

Minomon, now: “I think she's sleeping.”

“She's always sleeping. Because Gatomon's _boring.”_

Gatomon feels her fur bristle. She opens her eyes.

“Come on, don't you want to play?” Demiveemon whines. He's just feet away, wrestling with a giggling Minomon. “...String!”

Gatomon raises an eyebrow. “What?”

“String!” He scrambles away from Minomon suddenly, making the small green digimon topple over with a yelp. Demiveemon runs over to the gathered humans and finds Davis' bag, diving inside without warning; Davis doesn't seem concerned. Two tiny blue legs and a tail can be seen waving furiously in the air for a moment, and then Demiveemon reappears.

“Davis had this for an art class,” Demiveemon explains triumphantly, sprinting back. He's holding a spool of thread. “Cats like string, right?”

“...You've _got_ to be joking.”

“Come on!” Demiveemon unwinds the thread, waving it spasmodically through the air. Gatomon stares at it, unimpressed. “Here, kitty!”

Gatomon narrows her eyes.

“Uh,” says Minomon.

Reaching out, Gatomon lashes her paw toward the lizard. Demiveemon yelps as he flies through the air and smashes into Davis' side. His human partner jolts and looks around. “Hey,” Davis says. “Watch it – what are you doing?”

Demiveemon is dazed. “Ugh.”

Gatomon stretches to reaches the string and slices it neatly with one sharp claw. This done, she curls back into place and closes her eyes.

“I don't think Gatomon wants to play,” Minomon whispers from somewhere a minute later.

“You _think?”_

They leave – possibly wary, she thinks, and rightfully so. Gatomon thinks this is the end of it until she hears the crunching of grass approaching her position. But she doesn't hear a digimon's voice next.

“You never sleep in the digital world,” Davis observes.

Gatomon slits an eye open. “Yeah,” she tells him. “Even cats gotta hunt.”

He doesn't have anything to say to that.

* * *

 

“You know,” Patamon says, “I don't think I'd _want_ to be Angemon all the time.”

Gatomon sighs and stretches. She blinks her eyes open and moves slowly to a sitting position; the sun is slightly lower in the sky, but the humans are still picking at their food or running around on the grass. “Well, having two legs all the time seems annoying,” she says. After a moment's consideration, she adds, “When I'm Angewomon I miss my fur too.”

“I don't mean _that._ Doesn't it get tiring, being such an adult all the time?”

Gatomon scratches behind her ear. “It looks more exhausting not to be,” she mutters; near a grove of trees Demiveemon is still bounding around with poor, legless Minomon.

Patamon says nothing for a moment. “The only time I really wanted to be Angemon,” he says, “Is after Devimon hurt me. Because I knew I had to protect TK. And myself.”

Gatomon flicks her tail slowly.

“But you don't have to protect anyone,” Patamon adds. “You know that, don't you?”

Gatomon delicately coils her tail around herself. “You should play with the others,” she advises.

But Patamon flutters up in front of her now. “We're all safe here,” he says.

Gatomon glares up at her friend. “I haven't been safe since I hatched – and who do you think you _are?”_ Patamon wilts. “TK and Kari are the digi-destined – they're _always_ going to be in danger.”

“You can't live your life thinking like that.”

“I can. I do.”

Patamon glares. “Fine,” he says. “ - But sometimes it's good to hope for nice things, Gatomon.” He takes a deep breath, face scrunched in concentration.

Nearby TK jerks and suddenly touches his pocket. “Patamon! What - “

Angemon smiles, his face radiating light. “Everything is fine,” he announces to the humans; they keep staring anyway. To Gatomon he says, “If you won't be persuaded, then let me guard you for once, old friend – will you trust me?”

Gatomon watches the angel, so misplaced in this sunny field with its everyday accoutrements. Angemon always seems wholly transformed once he changes, and unwillingly she feels her tension slip away. Something else leaves her, too – small strips of data that coil and vanish into the air.

Salamon lands on the grass and stumbles over her own overgrown puppy-feet. Angemon lifts her into the air with two broad hands. Unwillingly she laughs, bright and loud.

“It's alright to ask for help,” he says, like it's a secret. And then, so softly that she might be imagining it: “You're not alone anymore.”

Then she's on the grass, shaking away bent tufts of fur, and Angemon gestures her forward. She takes one wobbling step, then another. Some of the other digimon are standing and watching her.

She walks over to Demiveemon. “So – are you still playing tag?”

 


End file.
